Rome

Read recent news stories and current events about Rome, Italy on Newser.com

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Decaying Rome &#39;on Verge of Collapse&#39;

 Decaying Rome 'on 
 Verge of Collapse' 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jul 19, 2015 7:35 AM CDT

Decaying Rome 'on Verge of Collapse'

Ancient city plagued by alleged corruption, garbage, rats

(Newser) - Rome wasn't built in a day, and thousands of years later, the city of 2.8 million remains home to some of the world's most remarkable fountains, museums, and churches. But it's also "dirty and disorganized," reports Reuters . Untamed grass and graffiti can be spotted...

ISIS&#39; Ruin of Palmyra Would Be &#39;Genocide&#39;
What Humanity Would Lose
If Palmyra Is Destroyed
OPINION
May 22, 2015 10:33 AM CDT

What Humanity Would Lose If Palmyra Is Destroyed

Expert: 3.8K-year-old city is 'mirage out of a fairy tale'

(Newser) - The ancient city of Palmyra, housing a 3,600-foot-long colonnade, marketplace, amphitheater, castle, and numerous tombs, is an archaeological treasure. "It makes Rome blush," says archaeologist Stephennie Mulder. "When you approach the site, it rises out of the desert like some sort of a mirage out of...

Surprise Find: Seating Plan for Rome's Colosseum

Restorers uncover red paint that survived for centuries

(Newser) - Spectators who once flocked to Rome's Colosseum could find their seats with the help of red numbers painted over entrance archways. What's amazing is that hints of that paint still remain, Discovery reports. A team restoring the Colosseum has spotted remnants of it in Latin numerals carved high...

Pope Gives Sleeping Bags to Homeless for His Birthday

Pontiff handed out 400 sleeping bags to Rome's destitute to celebrate his 78th

(Newser) - Pope Francis spent his birthday last year by going to church with four homeless locals . This year he upped the ante, celebrating his 78th birthday on Wednesday by donating 400 sleeping bags—complete with an imprinted papal coat of arms—to homeless people around Rome, ABC News reports. Volunteers and...

Tourist to Pay Big-Time Over Colosseum Vandalism

Russian man was caught in the act

(Newser) - A Russian tourist has been hit with an eye-watering $25,000 fine for doing what visitors have done for thousands of years: leave their mark on Rome's Colosseum. The man was caught in the act of inscribing a 10-inch-tall letter "K" on a wall inside the ancient building,...

Ancient Shipwreck Dates to Time When Rome Still Ruled

Divers spend hours descending 400-plus feet in search of artifacts

(Newser) - Scientists in Italy are teaming up with highly skilled divers from Florida to carefully sift through an ancient shipwreck dating back thousands of years—to the second Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage from 218BC to 201BC. It could be one of the oldest shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, and is...

Roman Gladiators&#39; Diet May Surprise You
 
 Roman Gladiators' 
 Diet May Surprise You 
in case you missed it
Oct 25, 2014 7:02 AM CDT

Roman Gladiators' Diet May Surprise You

Fighters were vegetarians, drank ashes after training as a tonic

(Newser) - You'd figure a typical Roman gladiator to be a real meat-and-potatoes guy, right? You'd be figuring wrong—at least if you were talking about gladiators from the city of Ephesus. Anthropologists have found that bones uncovered from a gladiator graveyard in the ancient city (once the capital of...

Sistine Chapel Private Concert Goes to ... Porsche

It's part of automaker's tour of Italy for car owners

(Newser) - Michelangelo didn't know it at the time, but his work in the Sistine Chapel would one day provide the backdrop for a sacred gathering of Porsche enthusiasts. Tomorrow, those who shelled out about $6,400 a head to the automaker will hear a concert of classical music in the...

Sistine Chapel Getting Better Lights

Given the surge in visitors, it needs a new A-C system, too

(Newser) - Michelangelo probably never would have imagined: His masterpiece on the ceiling and walls of the Sistine Chapel soon will be illuminated by 7,000 LED lights, reports the Wall Street Journal . Visitors have been complaining that the current lighting is so bad they can't make out details of the...

Rome's Colosseum Was Once a 'Condo'

Amphitheater functioned as a 'condo' for centuries

(Newser) - If only these walls could talk. Rome's iconic Colosseum, built nearly 20 centuries ago in 72 AD, has long been known as the site of gory gladiator battles and animal slaughter. Now, archaeologists who spent three weeks studying an excavated area beneath some 80 arched entrances that opened up...

Rome's Luxury Brands Paying for Historic Renovations

In latest, jeweler Bulgari will pay $2M to spruce up the 'Spanish Steps'

(Newser) - Rome's iconic Spanish Steps are getting a makeover. High-end jeweler Bulgari is donating $2 million to the city of Rome to restore the staircase that connects the swank Piazza di Spagna with the Trinita dei Monti church above. It's the latest Italian luxury brand to step in to...

Oldest Roman Temple Unearthed ... for 3 Days

Likely dedicated to goddess Fortuna

(Newser) - Archaeologists digging in the heart of Rome unearthed what may be the oldest temple to be built in the Eternal City, but don't get your hopes up about visiting the ancient structure. Its foundation sits well below the water line and was only visible for three days. Archaeologists from...

Pope Francis Scores Rolling Stone Cover

Plus: Rome graffiti shows him as Superman

(Newser) - Pope Francis, pop culture icon? So it seems. He's the 266th pope to hold his job—but the first to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone, NDTV notes. The magazine's article , by Mark Binelli, calls Francis "a man whose obvious humility, empathy and, above all, devotion...

Pope Francis Crashes Posh Rome District

Reminds of 'cries of poor' as Christmas shopping season kicks off

(Newser) - Pope Francis, in the heart of Rome's fanciest shopping district, has prayed that the poor are never forgotten. His appearance today at the foot of the Spanish Steps follows a papal tradition of public prayer before a statue representing Mary on Dec. 8, a church holiday honoring the mother...

Romans Map 'Secret' Tunnels to Fend Off Collapse

Underground maze swallows more streets, buildings every year

(Newser) - Welcome to Rome, where every year more streets and parts of buildings are collapsing into ancient passages that lurk half-forgotten underground. The city's proposed fix: map the labyrinth, detect the weakest spots with 3D scanning, and seal off the worst offenders, LiveScience reports. Successful or not, it may improve...

Clashes Halt Nazi War Criminal's Funeral

Catholic extremists offer to hold service for Priebke

(Newser) - The corpse of a Nazi war criminal is far from resting in peace in Italy: A hearse containing the body of Erich Priebke, who died last week while under house arrest for his role in the 1944 massacre of 335 Italian civilians, was attacked by protesters yesterday as it approached...

2 Cops Hurt in Shooting as Italy Gets New PM

Enrico Letta heads coalition government

(Newser) - As Italy's new government was taking the reins in Rome, two police officers were wounded in a shooting near the prime minister's office. One of the officers, who was shot in the neck, is in a serious condition, but it's not life-threatening, Reuters reports. A forty-something man...

Mussolini&#39;s &#39;Most Secret&#39; Bunker Revealed


 Mussolini's 
 'Most Secret' 
 Bunker 
 Revealed 
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Mar 31, 2013 7:40 AM CDT

Mussolini's 'Most Secret' Bunker Revealed

It was found in 2011, and will open to public this summer

(Newser) - You'll soon be able to visit a manifestation of Benito Mussolini's paranoia: his "most secret" bunker, unearthed beneath his Rome headquarters in 2011 and just revealed. During the restoration of the 15th-century Palazzo Venezia, architect Carlo Serafini came upon a trap door, reports La Stampa by way...

Rome Unveils &#39;Biggest Find Since the Forum&#39;

 Rome Unveils 
 'Biggest Find 
 Since the Forum' 
in case you missed it
Dec 29, 2012 1:00 PM CST

Rome Unveils 'Biggest Find Since the Forum'

Hadrian's auditorium once hosted poetry readings and speeches

(Newser) - Archaeologists have finished excavating a once-glorious arts center in the heart of Rome that was only discovered because of an underground railway line, the Guardian reports. "Hadrian's auditorium is the biggest find in Rome since the Forum was uncovered in the 1920s," said Rossella Rea, the project'...

Tourists Won't Be Able to Touch Colosseum Anymore

Iron columns will protect visitors from falling debris

(Newser) - The days of getting up close and personal with Rome's iconic Colosseum are coming to an end. The monument will soon be ringed by a protective barrier to keep tourists out of the reach of falling debris. Cast iron columns will be erected anywhere from 15 to 50 feet...

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